Native American Literature

The 1992 celebration of the quincentennial of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World brought international attention to indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. Responding to a celebration they described as a glorification of an event that initiated centuries of exploitation, Native Americans called for increased awareness of Indian cultures and recognition of the contributions that indigenous peoples have made to Western civilization. While the media attention this received has resulted in a surge of interest in Native American literature, Indian writers note that readers and critics often fail to recognize the distinctiveness of individual works or the problems associated with defining what Native American literature is. Some, like Kiowa writer N. Scott Momaday, believe that Native American literature is merely...